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Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 06:03
by madhatter
Dallas Commissioners Will Declare State Of Disaster Tomorrow Over Ebola

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-10-1 ... bola-fears" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

While the message from the President is 'keep calm and avoid bodily fluids', it appears the commissioners in Dallas are slightly more concerned at the potential for Ebola to escalate:

*DALLAS COMMISSIONERS TO DECLARE LOCAL STATE OF DISASTER TOMORROW: NBC-TV
*DALLAS COUNTY CONSIDERS DECLARING STATE OF DISASTER FROM EBOLA
*DALLAS DISASTER DECLARATION WOULD ACTIVATE EMERGENCY PLAN

While we are not sure where a "state of disaster" ranks relative to a "public health emergency" such as the one in Connecticut, we are certain of one thing - it will mean civil liberties will be reduced as government takes control.

Ebola In Context: Liberia Needs 80,000 Body Bags & 1 Million HazMat Suits

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-10-1 ... zmat-suits" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Image

http://www.mohsw.gov.lr/documents/SITRe ... 202014.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 06:15
by madhatter
Ebola! How Worried Should We Be?

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-10-1 ... ould-we-be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The current Ebola outbreak, unlike others throughout history, is lasting a very long time; with cases now being reported on a variety of continents well outside of its equatorial African origin.

I'm not especially worried about Ebola striking me or my loved ones, for reasons I'll explain in a moment. But I'm growing increasingly concerned about government response to the outbreak.

So let's spend some time understanding the nature of Ebola, specifically, and viral contagion, more generally. At the very least, Ebola can serve as an instructive reminder about how our society's responses to a viral outbreak could prove to be at least as disruptive and damaging as the virus itself.
Ebola

While very often cited as being 90% fatal once contracted, Ebola is rarely that lethal. In fact it was only that lethal in a single isolated outbreak. A 50% to 70% mortality rate is more common. As of Oct 10 2014, the latest outbreak had afflicted 8,376 and killed 4,024 -- a mortality rate of 48%.

This places the Ebola strain responsible for the latest outbreak on the lower end of the Ebola lethality scale. Don't misunderstand me: this is still a very deadly virus, to be sure. But it's not a guaranteed death sentence, either.

Viruses come in a wide variety of types and shapes. But the general structure they all share is that they have some form of nuclear material, either DNA itself or RNA, housed inside of a protein capsule. Think of a peanut M&M, where the peanut is the genetic payload and the outer coatings serve both a protective purpose (while the virus is seeking a new host) and as the means of docking with a host's cell.

That’s really all a virus is. A few proteins and some genetic material. No membranes, no sexual merging of genetic material, and no ability to replicate themselves all on their own. There are debates still ongoing today as to whether a virus should even be considered a living thing.

The life cycle of a virus is very simple. A virus particle will dock with a target host cell (most viruses are highly specific for the precise sorts of cells they will and won’t bind to), insert its genetic payload which hijacks the host’s replicative machinery, replicate the genetic payload wildly which codes for both new genetic material and protein capsule subunits, and then reassemble lots of intact virus particles which then escape the host cell to go and find other cells to infect.

Within a mammalian host, once a virus attack is recognized, an antibody response is mounted and the fight is on. As the virus particles escape the host cell (which is usually damaged or killed as a consequence of having been hijacked) it is vulnerable to being identified by a host antibody, itself a highly-specialized protein that will 'dock' with a virus particle more or less permanently (they bind together very tightly) and thereby incapacitate the virus’ ability to dock to a new host cell.

With lethal viruses, something goes wrong with this process. Either the virus replicates too quickly for the host to counter effectively, or the virus tricks the immune response into either too little or too much activity -- both conditions which can end poorly for the host.

For example, the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 preferentially killed those between the ages of 20 and 40. This was unusual because it's exactly opposite the flu mortality patterns we normally expect, where the very young and the very old are the most susceptible.

The best prevailing explanation for this is that it was the very health and vigor of the patients that did them in. The Spanish flu (and other avian flu strains) cause the host body to unleash a 'cytokine storm' which is a very unhealthy, and sometimes lethal, positive feedback loop between immune cells and a class of attractor signaling molecules called cytokines. As more cytokines are released, say into the lung tissue, immune cells are attracted and can then release more cytokines, which attracts more immune cells, and so on. The place to which they are attracted becomes damaged by this overly-aggressive response of the immune cells and for the Spanish flu victims, this happened in the lungs, critically impairing respiration. Hence, the 'healthier' a host was, the more damage the Spanish flu virus caused.

In the case of Ebola, the virus preferentially targets the cells that line the inner walls of blood vessels (a.k.a. endothelial cells) as well as white blood cells, a fact which helps to spread the virus throughout the body fairly rapidly, as white blood cells actively migrate system-wide.

Through a variety of mechanisms, the Ebola virus causes the endothelial cells to detach from the blood vessels and die, which compromises blood vessel integrity. This targeting of the blood vessels is why the Ebola virus is classified as a hemorrhagic fever. The patient's blood vessels literally break down. That leads to the many visible symptoms of an Ebola victim, not the least of which is various burst blood vessels all throughout the body.

Image

Currently, it's thought that once exposed, an Ebola victim will incubate the virus for a period of up to 21 days before symptoms express. It's only once the victim is symptomatic that they themselves can transmit the virus and infect others.

This characteristic of Ebola, more than any other, is why I don’t fear it overly much as a pandemic risk. A far more worrisome virus would be one that's infective during asymptomatic stages of its host cycle, as is the case with HIV.

Early symptoms of Ebola include the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. Unfortunately, that pretty much describes any reasonably intense flu, which complicates screening procedures and causes unnecessary worry among those who merely have the flu but worry about the possibility of Ebola.

Nonetheless, authorities have no choice but to take every traveling passenger with these very ordinary flu symptoms as a possible Ebola case. It's a safe bet we’ll hear plenty in the coming days and weeks about Hazmat-suited response teams escorting sickly passengers off of planes.

A tip: if you have a fever, don’t travel. You'll worry a lot of people unnecessarily. And you may end up in quarantine, really throwing your travel plans off the rails.
The Short-Term Risk

While gruesome and heartbreaking, the actual number of deaths by Ebola as well as the total number of people infected is very, very low compared to other hazards out there.

Are you more worried about Ebola than driving to work? If so, you have those risks entirely inverted.

Image

In the above chart, there are 27 years worth of data contained in each data point. That means that if the chart reads 2,700 for a given day, then an average of 100 people died on US roads on that day each year out of 27.

For the US, the above chart translates into ~33,000 vehicle deaths per year. Even in Africa where some 4,000 people have died from Ebola so far in 2014, America's vehicle fatalities dwarf that current statistic.

Other communicable diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and diarrheal disease cause some 9 million deaths worldwide each year.

This is why I'm personally not that worried about Ebola striking me or my family here in the eastern US at this time. Nor would I be overly worried in Dallas, where the first two US-soil cases of Ebola command national attention. The odds of getting infected at this point are very low at the individual level.
The Longer-Term Risk

However, I do think that the reaction to Ebola, which could include ex- and inter-US travel bans and other economically and socially disruptive practices could be another matter altogether at this moment in time. While there is a small, but non-zero, chance that this Ebola strain could morph into something more virulent, there is a very good chance of a more Draconian government response developing.

In Part 2: Prudent Precautions To Take Now, we dive into not only what damage to our civil liberties and livelihood these heavy-handed and poorly executed government responses are likely to be, but we also address the actions that individuals can take today on important questions like:

Who is at risk of infection in the current ebola outbreak?
What's the likelihood the current strain will morph into a more virulent form?
What are the best steps to take today to reduce your vulnerability to a pandemic?

What Ebola reminds us of is that when a true pandemic arrives it will travel much faster than those in the past (thanks to air travel being an order of magnitude faster than dawning recognition) and that our complex, highly leveraged, just-in-time global economy is utterly unprepared for even a minor glitch in the flow of goods let alone the virtual lockdown that a true pandemic would require.

A small amount of preparing can make you much less vulnerable should (when?) that comes to pass.


part here... http://www.peakprosperity.com/insider/8 ... s-take-now" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 09:06
by madhatter
WHO Shocked At 427 Ebola-Infected Healthcare Workers As Cases Top 9000, Deaths Exceed 4500


First the shocking news:

*EBOLA CASES TO EXCEED 9,000 IN W. AFRIA THIS WEEK, WHO SAYS
*EBOLA DEATHS TO EXCEED 4,500 IN W. AFRICA THIS WEEK, WHO SAYS
*427 HEALTH-CARE WORKERS INFECTED WITH EBOLA, WHO'S NUTTALL SAYS

AND

A patient is being evaluated at Yale New Haven Hospital at this hour with Ebola-like symptoms, according to a statement from the hospital.


A physicians document obtained by News 8 says, “On Wednesday evening Yale-New Haven Hospital admitted a patient who met the threshold to be monitored for Ebola virus disease(DVD). The Hospital is working with the CDC and Prevention and the State Department of Public Heath to have the patient tested for EVD.”



News 8 Medical Reporter Jocelyn Maminta has talked to a credible source with the hospital who says the patient is one of the Yale Researchers who just returned from a trip to Liberia on Monday. This is one of the same researchers officials decided not to have quarantined after their trip to Africa.QUARANTINED??? I'm thinking we need to INCINERATE him...and the rest of em too... enough is enough already...

http://www.courant.com/community/new-ha ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I am extremely concerned w the yale-new haven thing as my brother will be admitted on oct 20 for chemo and stem cell transplant after which his immunity will be nearly zero... He will be there for a minimum of 2 weeks...Not sure there is ANYTHING that will alleviate that concern except his safe discharge...

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 10:26
by Rime & Reason
Madhatter, I think Shepard Smith of Fox News is talking directly to you.

https://tv.yahoo.com/news/fox-news-shep ... 00633.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fox News’ Shepard Smith took the media to task for its Ebola hysteria during his broadcast on Wednesday. ”Given what we know, you should have no concerns about Ebola at all. None; I promise,” he told viewers.

Fox News, along with CNN and MSNBC went with non-stop coverage of the disease after a nurse caring for Thomas Eric Duncan — the first American diagnosed with Ebola, who ultimately died from it — contracted the disease.

Shepard seemed to be taking his own network to task, along with other media outlets, in trying to bring reason and fact to the Ebola discussion. “Do not listen to the hysterical voices on the radio and the television, or read the fear-provoking words online,” he said. “The people who say and write hysterical things are being very irresponsible.”

He clarified that there is no factual evidence of any Ebola outbreak in the United States. At this time, one man has died from it and two healthcare professionals who cared for him have contracted it and are in isolation.

Smith did say that there was an element of politics in the “irresponsible” fear-mongering going on in the media sphere. “With midterm elections coming, the party in charge needs to appear to be effectively leading. The party out of power needs to show that there is a lack of leadership,” he said.

“I report to you with certainty this afternoon that being afraid at all is the wrong thing to do. Being petrified, and that's a quote, is ridiculous,” Smith went on. “The panic that has tanked the stock market and left people fearful that their children will get sick at school is counterproductive and lacks basis in fact or reason. There is no Ebola spreading in America. Should that change, our reporting will change.”

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 10:56
by madhatter
Rime & Reason wrote:Madhatter, I think Shepard Smith of Fox News is talking directly to you.

https://tv.yahoo.com/news/fox-news-shep ... 00633.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fox News’ Shepard Smith took the media to task for its Ebola hysteria during his broadcast on Wednesday. ”Given what we know, you should have no concerns about Ebola at all. None; I promise,” he told viewers.

Fox News, along with CNN and MSNBC went with non-stop coverage of the disease after a nurse caring for Thomas Eric Duncan — the first American diagnosed with Ebola, who ultimately died from it — contracted the disease.

Shepard seemed to be taking his own network to task, along with other media outlets, in trying to bring reason and fact to the Ebola discussion. “Do not listen to the hysterical voices on the radio and the television, or read the fear-provoking words online,” he said. “The people who say and write hysterical things are being very irresponsible.”

He clarified that there is no factual evidence of any Ebola outbreak in the United States. At this time, one man has died from it and two healthcare professionals who cared for him have contracted it and are in isolation.

Smith did say that there was an element of politics in the “irresponsible” fear-mongering going on in the media sphere. “With midterm elections coming, the party in charge needs to appear to be effectively leading. The party out of power needs to show that there is a lack of leadership,” he said.

“I report to you with certainty this afternoon that being afraid at all is the wrong thing to do. Being petrified, and that's a quote, is ridiculous,” Smith went on. “The panic that has tanked the stock market and left people fearful that their children will get sick at school is counterproductive and lacks basis in fact or reason. There is no Ebola spreading in America. Should that change, our reporting will change.”
well if Shep says so... :roll:

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 11:30
by madhatter
madhatter wrote:
Rime & Reason wrote:Madhatter, I think Shepard Smith of Fox News is talking directly to you.

https://tv.yahoo.com/news/fox-news-shep ... 00633.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fox News’ Shepard Smith took the media to task for its Ebola hysteria during his broadcast on Wednesday. ”Given what we know, you should have no concerns about Ebola at all. None; I promise,” he told viewers.

Fox News, along with CNN and MSNBC went with non-stop coverage of the disease after a nurse caring for Thomas Eric Duncan — the first American diagnosed with Ebola, who ultimately died from it — contracted the disease.

Shepard seemed to be taking his own network to task, along with other media outlets, in trying to bring reason and fact to the Ebola discussion. “Do not listen to the hysterical voices on the radio and the television, or read the fear-provoking words online,” he said. “The people who say and write hysterical things are being very irresponsible.”

He clarified that there is no factual evidence of any Ebola outbreak in the United States. At this time, one man has died from it and two healthcare professionals who cared for him have contracted it and are in isolation.

Smith did say that there was an element of politics in the “irresponsible” fear-mongering going on in the media sphere. “With midterm elections coming, the party in charge needs to appear to be effectively leading. The party out of power needs to show that there is a lack of leadership,” he said.

“I report to you with certainty this afternoon that being afraid at all is the wrong thing to do. Being petrified, and that's a quote, is ridiculous,” Smith went on. “The panic that has tanked the stock market and left people fearful that their children will get sick at school is counterproductive and lacks basis in fact or reason. There is no Ebola spreading in America. Should that change, our reporting will change.”
well if Shep says so... :roll:
You all can feel fee to think and do whatever you're told...I'm gonna trust my "lying eyes" here...

The CDC has announced that the second healthcare worker diagnosed with Ebola — now identified as Amber Joy Vinson of Dallas — traveled by air Oct. 13, with a low-grade fever, a day before she showed up at the hospital reporting symptoms.

The CDC is now reaching out to all passengers who flew on Frontier Airlines flight 1143 Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth. The flight landed at 8:16 p.m. CT.

All 132 passengers on the flight are being asked to call 1 800-CDC INFO (1 800 232-4636). Public health professionals will begin interviewing passengers about the flight Wednesday afternoon.

“Although she (Vinson) did not report any symptoms and she did not meet the fever threshold of 100.4, she did report at that time she took her temperature and found it to be 99.5,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden. Her temperature coupled with the fact that she had been exposed to the virus should have prevented her from getting on the plane, he said. “I don’t think that changes the level of risk of people around her. She did not vomit, she was not bleeding, so the level of risk of people around her would be extremely low.”

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/10/15/ebol ... diagnosis/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. John LaPook reports that Vinson called the CDC several times before boarding the plane concerned about her fever.

"This nurse, Nurse Vinson, did in fact call the CDC several times before taking that flight and said she has a temperature, a fever of 99.5, and the person at the CDC looked at a chart and because her temperature wasn’t 100.4 or higher she didn’t officially fall into the category of high risk,” said Dr. LaPook on the CBS Evening News.

However, according to Flighttracker, the plane was used for five additional flights on Tuesday before it was removed from service. Those flights include a return flight to Cleveland, Cleveland to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL), FLL to Cleveland, Cleveland to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), and ATL to Cleveland.


While in Ohio, Vinson visited relatives, who are employees at Kent State University. The university is now asking Vinson’s three relatives stay off campus and self-monitor per CDC protocol for the next 21 days out of an “abundance of caution.”


I guess I just have an "abundance of caution"...feel free to continue w your abundance of ignorance if you feel so inclined...


Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 12:14
by Highway Star
Maddy should really be more worried about catching Feline AIDS, for obvious reasons. :banana:

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 13:19
by Dr. NO
News reporting a case in New Haven, CT. Yale student who returned to school has Ebola like symptoms and is in isolation.

On another front, a Minnesota group has found that yes, Ebola has become airborne.

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 14:09
by Rime & Reason
Dr. NO wrote:News reporting a case in New Haven, CT. Yale student who returned to school has Ebola like symptoms and is in isolation.

On another front, a Minnesota group has found that yes, Ebola has become airborne.
Et tu, Dr. No?

“University Knocks Down Tweet That Ebola Airborne”

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireSt ... e-26241575" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 14:16
by Dr. NO
Rime & Reason wrote:
Dr. NO wrote:News reporting a case in New Haven, CT. Yale student who returned to school has Ebola like symptoms and is in isolation.

On another front, a Minnesota group has found that yes, Ebola has become airborne.
Et tu, Dr. No?

“University Knocks Down Tweet That Ebola Airborne”

OK, but the Yale thing is for real. Hmm, I don't get tweets so where did that story come from?



http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireSt ... e-26241575" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 14:20
by Dr. NO
Rime & Reason wrote:
Dr. NO wrote:News reporting a case in New Haven, CT. Yale student who returned to school has Ebola like symptoms and is in isolation.

On another front, a Minnesota group has found that yes, Ebola has become airborne.
Et tu, Dr. No?

“University Knocks Down Tweet That Ebola Airborne”



http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireSt ... e-26241575" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
OK, but the Yale thing is for real. Hmm, I don't get tweets so where did that story come from? Bing has multiple items about airborne along with the University's efforts to stop the rumor.

sorry for double post but put the original response in the wrong place and then searched the stories.

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 15:08
by Bubba
I have to fly to the west coast next week. Where can I get one of these near Killington?

Image

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 16:06
by Atomic1
During the whole 9-11 tragedy how long did Bush Suspend Air traffic for ? Shouldn't Obama at least suspend flights into the Country especially from Africa as it appears that's where all these people contracted Ebola . Is it an economy thing or what ? How many people enter the USA from Africa every day and why can't we stop it for a few weeks ?

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 16:51
by Dickc
That Frontier airplane has a new nickname---The Enola Gay.

Re: Ebola is here...Surprise...

Posted: Oct 16th, '14, 17:06
by freeski
Dickc wrote:That Frontier airplane has a new nickname---The Enola Gay.
Did you mean Ebola Gay :?: